Gravity's Breaking
by Nature.Calls
Summary: An accident occurs leaving Stiles broken, alone and angry. He isn't really alone as long as he has his pack though and he certainly won't be alone if accepts The Bite from Derek. Sterek
1. Chapter 1

I honestly don't know what produced this and I'm sorry this is such a short chapter. But I'll be writing more soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf. It all belongs to Jeff Davis. Especially the Sterek ship.

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Stiles was with Derek when his phone rang. As usual he was trying to sort out a solution to the current predicament the entire Beacon Hills pack had managed to get themselves in to.

"Stiles?" Odd. It was Mrs. McCall. Unusual as she never called him unless something was wrong with Scott. _Oh._

Stiles' heart constricted for a moment in panic and his stomach bottomed out. What happened to him in the several hours they had been apart since school had let out? Last he knew, he was going to spend the rest of the day on some secret romantic getaway with Allison.

"It's your dad. There's been some kind of accident. He's here in the hospital now."

The phone fell from Stiles' hand and hit the table him and Derek were sitting at. He didn't really have a response anyways. The chair flew out from behind him as Stiles rushed from his seat and out the door, fighting his jacket pocket for his keys. The fight continued with the lock and the ignition when he finally managed to get in the damn jeep. Before he could throw it in reverse he was yanked out of the driver's seat and onto his front lawn.

Huh. He didn't even remember to put his seatbelt on.

"Derek! What the hell?" Stiles' voice was higher than usual, panic and fear coursing through his body and being announced via vocal chords.

"You're in no condition to drive."

"You know what? I don't care what you think!" The scrawny teenager was on his feet, moving back towards the jeep now. "I have to get to my dad!"

"Then let me take you." Derek reasoned, grabbing Stiles by the arm and guiding him to the passenger side of the jeep. After he made sure the human wasn't going to try and maneuver himself into the driver's side and lock Derek out, Derek rounded the front of the beat up vehicle and climbed in. Of course Derek had heard the conversation with werewolf super hearing.

It took about ten minutes to reach the hospital with Derek's obscene driving, though Stiles didn't seemed concerned with speed right now. They had even passed a patrol car on the way over, but being the only blue jeep in Beacon Hills everyone knew when Stiles was around. There was no way that the officer inside the car didn't know about Sherriff Stilinski being injured, so the blue and white vehicle ignored the speeding.

Derek hadn't even managed to put Stiles' jeep in park before he was out and bounding into the Emergency Room entrance. Though a twinge of annoyance struck Derek it was drowned in familiar sorrow for the boy. He knew how much of a wreck losing a family member could be so it wasn't like he could hold it against him. He just turned off the jeep and locked it before hurriedly following Stiles.

By the time Derek had found the room they placed Sherriff Stilinski in everything was chaos. Stiles was being held back by two male officers who happened to be on duty with his dad at the time. He was yelling obscenities at the doctor and nurses by the bed, though most were choked by the tears freely flowing down his face. Derek rushed to him, moving the officers aside and taking hold of Stiles himself. Unexplainably Derek had the urge to protect him. In an odd way he was part of the pack and as the Alpha it held him responsible for the pack. It wasn't just being the Alpha though that had Derek restraining Stiles from behind though. It was the intense mourning he had felt way too many times before and still to this day felt. It was Stiles breaking down as the sight of the white sheet pulled completely over his dad's body. It was the feeling of losing everything you ever had.

"We'll give you some time." The doctor coughed, still flustered by Stiles' ongoing screaming. The nurses were on his heels on the way out, very obviously avoiding the gaze of the sheriff's son. The officers left as well, feeling almost intrusive now, shutting the door behind them so the crying and screams could be slightly muffled to everyone else in the hospital.

"Stiles-"

"Don't fucking start Derek! Just don't!" He thrashed out of Derek's grip, though in reality Derek let him go. Tripping over his long legs and blinded by tears Stiles scrambled to the hospital bed, shakily reaching for the bed sheet.

"Stiles!" Derek wanted to stop him, but the look the sixteen year old shot him made him stop in his tracks. He knew he should stop that shaky, pale hand from gripping the sheet and pulling it down some, but his feet were frozen. It was illogical sure, but it was happening. And so was the violent sob that tore through Stiles', his entire body wracked with shudders. Derek was right beside him, an arm around his shoulder as Stiles legs buckled underneath what seemed like so much weight suddenly.

Sheriff Stilinski was pale, especially compared to the red that stained his neck and face. Realization hit Derek like a brick, because he had no idea how the man had died. There was so much blood though. What kind of accident was this?

The two pack members stood there, silence enveloping both of them, except for the occasional muttering through the door. A small, black clock on the wall showed that at least thirty minutes had passed. Had they really been standing there staring at a body for that long? Stiles' crying had ceased at some point, but he was still leaning against Derek for support.

"Derek." The Alpha's hazel eyes snapped to the human he was holding up when his hoarse voice broke the thick silence. "I need you to get me out of here."

"Are you sure?"

"I ca-can't do this." His voice cracked halfway through and Derek took that as a sign of confirmation that Stiles did need out of this room. That seeing his dad after all was too much and Derek was pissed at himself for not stopping Stiles earlier just because of a stupid look. He dragged him out of the room, having the most trouble at the door when Stiles looked back over his shoulder, another violent sob coming out of him.

"Come on." Derek gently nudged. The entire hospital watched on as the sheriff's son was practically carried out of hospital by the ex-fugitive Derek Hale. If that wasn't going to be gossip in Beacon Hills nothing could be.

By the time Derek pulled up to Stiles house the boy was basically catatonic, staring ahead into the dark. "Come on Stiles." Derek spoke softly, afraid if he did raise his voice too much the boy would end up breaking down, which he was trying to avoid. Stiles didn't respond though, just stayed put, staring ahead, his honey brown eyes drooped. Derek sighed, turned off the jeep and climbed out, making his way around it to pull Stiles from it. Surprisingly the boy stayed upright, his legs moving one after the other, though his feet never really left the ground. A shuffle was better than not moving at all though.

"You want something to eat?" There was no answer. "You want me to make something?" Still no answer. "You just want to go to bed?" Stiles slid his eyes to meet Derek's. A cold, hollow feeling snaked it's way through Derek's body and the sorrow filling those usually bright and brilliant eyes left the werewolf with a longing to fix everything, though he knew he couldn't do a damn thing.

"If it means I never have to wake up again, then yeah. I want to go to bed." Stiles pushed away from Derek and started shuffling towards the staircase. The movements were painfully slow and Derek just stared after the sophomore, unsure if he should stay and watch over Stiles or have someone else do it.

The thought clicked in his brain. Scott should have called by now. Surely, word would have gotten around that Sheriff Stilinski had been at the hospital and died. Especially if his mom was one of the nurses there. Derek took out his phone and thumbed through the contacts until he came across 'Scott' before pressing the call button. Several rings later and it went to voicemail. A low growl rumbled from the base of Derek's throat. When was Scott going to stop turning off his phone? He always managed to never be obtainable when something monumental occurred. He tried three more times and got the same response. On the last try he left a voicemail, though it would be a miracle if Scott could understand him through his gravelly-wolfed-out voice.

Derek slid the phone back into the pocket of his jeans before eyeing the ceiling and following Stiles up, taking two stairs at a time. When he entered Stiles' room it was dark, though that didn't really hinder a werewolf. Stiles himself was face down on the bed, clothes still on. His heartbeat and breathing were even so he must have fallen prey to exhaustion. Another sigh escaped Derek's lips as he sat on the floor next to Stiles' bed, back against the wall. It was going to be a long night.

The sky was just turning a pinkish hue when Stiles woke up. He groggily raised his head, almost flailing off the bed at the sight of Derek's head right there next to his pillow. He was in a sitting position, though his spine curved at what looked to Stiles like a painful angle so he could rest his head on the mattress. At first Stiles didn't understand why Derek was even here in his room, asleep indian-style on his floor. Then the previous night came rushing back to him, hitting him like a freight train. Tears began to pool in Stiles golden-brown eyes and his breathing became a little erratic.

Using all his will power he forced himself to take slow, deep, even breaths. There would be no use in having a panic attack. Those only enhanced the terrible feeling Stiles had learned. Deciding not to get up to go to the bathroom like his body had originally woken him up for, Stiles laid back down slowly, still taking deep breaths. He forced himself to go back to sleep.

On the very edge of slumber Stiles looked over at the sleeping werewolf and muttered, "Thanks Derek," and let sleep take him.

It was probably around two hours after that that Stiles woke up again. This time it was a voice nudging him into the world of the living. "Come on Stiles. School starts in another hour."

"Dad just five more minutes okay?" The voice didn't respond and Stiles shot up, hot tears already prickling his eyes. It was Derek who was waking him up for school.

"Stiles it's okay," Derek reasoned, keeping his tone soft and light. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the human making sure he wasn't suddenly going to go into some kind of manic state.

"It's not. It's really not okay," Stiles gulped and then locked eyes with Derek. "My dad's dead and I'm all alone. Nothing can be okay." He leaned against his headboard, eyes fluttering closed as tears started to flow. Derek didn't know what else he should do, but he did know that at least when wolves were upset they liked to be surrounded by pack members. So Derek moved closer to Stiles, reaching out to pull him closer, but Stiles knocked his hand away. "Get out! Just leave me alone!" Stiles' voice was rising and Derek backed up a little, his eyes widening some. This entire side of Stiles was new to him. "Get. Out." Stiles repeated, his voice dropping an octave, anger seeping through the tears. The Alpha didn't know what else to do but comply, so he rose from the bed and walked out, giving Stiles on last mournful look before exiting.

x-x-x-x-x

The funeral was two days later. It was one of the those events that everyone in Beacon Hills attended, being the small town it was. It was also the first time anyone had seen Stiles in two days. He looked ragged and sickly. When Scott got close enough to get a wiff of him his nostrils flared in slight disgust, but he covered it up. This wasn't exactly the most appropriate time to ask Stiles when he showered last. In fact, it didn't even look like Stiles had bothered to dress for the funeral. He was wearing a pair of jeans and his red hoodie over a white t-shirt; all articles wrinkled as if he had slept in them. Which he probably had.

When Scott hugged him Stiles didn't respond. He couldn't respond, otherwise he would have broken down into a sobbing mess with a ninety-five percent chance of a panic attack in front of the entire population of Beacon Hills. He just had to keep it in for now. "Man, I'm here for you." Scott sounded sincere, and Stiles supposed it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help and be bitter for Scott not calling him or coming over _or hell even texting him_ the night of the accident. It was a man he didn't know very well that stayed and made sure Stiles was okay, not his best friend.

Stiles turned away from Scott and took a seat in one of the front rows, directly in front of the coffin. It was closed casket and Stiles was extremely grateful to whoever made that decision because he'd probably break down if he saw his dad's face.

"You doing alright?" Stiles turned to look at the last face he expected to see sitting by him, though by now it shouldn't have surprised him at all. A shrug of his lanky shoulders was the only response Derek managed to get out of Stiles, so for once it was Derek who kept talking while the hyperactive teenager stayed silent. "Never mind. I suppose that's a dumb question for me to ask. And I'm sure you've been getting it a lot today, so you're probably already frustrated with it." Derek didn't understand why he kept talking, but he felt like Stiles needed something besides brooding silence. Before Derek could continue trying to coax any kind of speech from Stiles the preacher walked to the front of the coffin and started speaking. About fifteen minutes into the entire thing Stiles got up and left, hoodie pulled over his head so no one could see the tears that streaked his face.

Stiles didn't show up to school for another week after the funeral had passed. Calls lit up the house phone and his cell phone almost constantly and knocking at the door came and went. Stiles didn't answer anything. He didn't even bother to look at the caller ID nor did he check the peephole to see who came to visit him.

x-x-x-x-x

It was a Tuesday when Derek and Scott showed up, both pausing on the front steps to sniff the air.

"It reeks of death and rot." Scott noted, suddenly worried for his best friend. _He hadn't_-no he wouldn't dare.

"No, listen closely. You hear that?" Scott listened but couldn't pick out what Derek had pinpointed with his hearing, so he just shook his head. "I can hear his heart beat, though it's slightly more elevated than what it should be normally." Scott proceeded forward, taking out a key Stiles' dad had given him over three years ago.

When he unlocked and opened the door the stench the werewolves could smell from the porch hit them ten times stronger. Suddenly a very drunk and nearly naked Stiles came into view. He was climbing the stairs it looked like, in his boxers with a bottle of Jim Beam in one hand. Though, the bottle was nearly empty Scott had noticed.

"Stiles, jesus christ! Are you okay?"

"Mmeah I'm fines." Obviously he wasn't. He was extremely drunk.

"Stiles you're slurring your words." Maybe he could reason with him.

"Vhat? Nooo, I've not." Scott shot Derek a look who didn't looked pleased with this situation at all. The Alpha decided to take control of the situation and he started to stalk forward.

"Stiles, give me the bottle." The first command was just there. No open threat, but not soft either.

"Suck off," Stiles snarled, but paused when he combed over the words he just said, giggling as he realized that wasn't the vulgarity he had intended.

"Give. Me. The. Bottle." This command came packaged in a deep growl, one that rumbled through Derek's entire body and he watched as Stiles shivered and looked around, eyes finally landing on Derek.

"Take it." He thrusted the bottle at the older male, making an over exaggerated gasp when the bottle didn't quite make it and shattered on the floor. "Nooo! Not Mr. Ream!"

"Stiles!" Scott yelled, moving forward, but Derek held out an arm to hold him back. He grabbed Stiles by the upper arm and yanked him up and over the mess he made at the base of the stairs, dragging him into the kitchen, the sixteen year old kicking and screaming all the way. With his free hand Derek pulled out one of the chairs and slammed Stiles into it, the wood groaning loudly under the abuse.

"Oooow!" Stiles whined, head lolling back. Derek moved with an intense purpose to the cabinets, opening and slamming each one closed until he found a glass to put some water in. He then grabbed the loaf of bread sitting on the counter, putting both in front of Stiles.

"Eat and drink." Another stern command, though no growl present in this one.

"Bossy." Stiles frowned, sticking his tongue out. This made Derek emit a growl, so Stiles grabbed a piece of bread from the bag and began nibbling. Scott joined the two and sat in one of the other chairs, elbows resting on the table, hands combing stressfully through his dark hair.

After a couple minutes of silence Stiles spoke. "So what'cha joing here Spott?" Derek pinched the bridge of his nose in complete frustation at the drunken, bumbling state Stiles was in, but Scott seemed to understand every word Stiles had just said to him.

"Came to see how you were holding up. You haven't been at school, you haven't answered any of my phone calls or texts and you haven't answered the door." Stiles entire demeanor changed as Scott spoke. Derek could feel him tensing up beside him and he looked at the younger boy cautiously.

"Well, ya vucking wanna know why Slott? 'Cause I dunno mavbe I'n fuckin' mornin'! Ever think avout that?" Stiles was glaring heatedly and it seemed the angrier he got the worse he speech got. He stood suddenly, slamming his hands down on the table and swaying in the process. "Mavbe my life isn't so good as your's. So excuse 'da fuck outta ne." Stiles passed out, crumpling to the floor. Derek brought his hand back down from where it had been positioned behind Stiles' neck so he could trigger some pressure points to knock his unruly, drunk ass out.

"What's going to happen?" Scott asked, running his hands over his face, dragging the skin down some hoping the slight pain would produce any kind of solution.

"I dunno. He'll be more rational when he wakes up and he's not drunk though." The two werewolves stood over the newly-come-to-be orphan as he laid on the kitchen floor of a house with no parents.

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Tell me what you think. Short, I know. Sorry. The chapters will get longer.


	2. Chapter 2

Was hoping to have it out sooner, but oh well. Also wished it was slightly longer, because I want to keep this at a short amount of chapters, but I felt it needed to end where it does. Enjoy!

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It had been about another week since the drunken rampage incident with Scott and Derek. Scott had shown up at least once more though, Stiles sober when he did. Neither talked about what Stiles had said drunk, because Scott was almost hundred percent positive that his best friend didn't even remember it. Derek had knocked him out pretty hard. Mostly Scott tried to coax some kind of reaction from Stiles. Instead he just sat on his bed staring out the window, every so often tilting his head and sighing when birds began to change their tune.

A huffy sigh left Scott before he could really help it. It wasn't Stiles' fault that he was being difficult, but Scott's heart rate was starting rise so he decided he better leave before his frustration got the better of him.

Halfway down the hallway he almost ran face first into Derek, who stood eyes darting back and forth between the room and Scott. "Did he say anything?" His eyebrows rose up, but Scott just shook his head so he nodded and moved around the smaller werewolf to enter the boy's room. Stiles didn't even bother turning around.

"You know what's really great Scott?" Stiles asked, head resting on a hand he had propped up on his knee. "I didn't even really talk to my dad that week. I was so busy trying to figure out a plan for the kanima that I skipped out on a couple of dinners. Ignored my dad's request to watch some movies. I gave up time with my dad for this werewolf bullshit. This bullshit that doesn't belong to me. That shouldn't concern me. And you-" Stiles raised his head, gripping his knees tightly and took a shuddering breath. "you were so busy…so fucking busy with Allison. What am I- no hold on- how the fuck is that fair?" When Stiles turned around to glare he was shocked that he wasn't talking to Scott at all. "Ah...um well shit. You could have made yourself known." Derek's head cocked as he thought he heard sarcasm. Too optimistic?

"Figured you wouldn't really speak. You haven't until now, except for the drunken night." Stiles nodded, a red tint starting to work its way under his skin.

"Uh-yeah. Sorry about that and uh-well yeah. Sorry." He dropped his head a little ashamed of how he acted. He hadn't meant to get that wasted. Well, at least for no one to see.

"I'm not going to brush it off and say it's fine because being that reckless isn't fine, but I understand why you did it." Stiles snorted. Trust Derek to act like the Alpha even in a situation like this.

"Yeah. Everybody always say they understand." Derek's chest clenched and he rushed Stiles, anger coursing through his veins when he slammed the teen against the wall.

"Don't you dare think for one second I don't understand," His voice had bled out to growly. "I understand very well considering I lost everyone. My sister still very recently." Stiles eyes widened, because shit, he had forgotten that Derek's family had died and shit he was an asshole.

"Sorry." Stiles whimpered out. Derek's clenched grip released a little and his eyes softened as Stiles' eyes watered up.

"I'm sorry too." He didn't whine or whimper, but his tone and volume softened greatly. After a heavy sigh he let Stiles all together and pushed away, running a hand through his hair as he did. "Look, I didn't mean to-" Derek was interrupted by the doorbell. The werewolf cocked his head to the side and concentrated for a moment. "There's two of them."

"Jesus fucking christ." Stiles sighed, moving to his window to see a police car parked out front. "Of course." Another frustrated sigh left him and he turned to stare at his bedroom door for a minute, contemplating, before rolling his eyes and going to get the door. Derek stayed put. It wasn't like he had the best reputation with the police. Besides, he'd be able to hear everything from up in Stiles' room.

When Stiles opened the door he was greeted by a familiar looking police officer and a woman in a dress suit.

"Officer Jones, hey."

"Stiles, how are you?" His dad's longtime partner greeted him softly, a sad smile adorning his face. Martin Jones had known Stiles practically since he had been born. He'd been with his dad through everything, including the death of his wife.

"I'm, uh, I'm doing good. Um..come on in." Stiles moved over and let the two adults into the silent house.

"Listen, Stiles. We need to talk with you. This is Sherry Farce with Child Protective Services." Stiles' honey eyes widened and his mouth dropped open a little, a small stuttering noise escaping. "Don't worry. We're going to go ahead and lay everything out on the table. Why don't we take a seat in the dining room." Not waiting for an answer the policeman strode down the foyer hallway and hailed a left. Of course he knew where the dining room was. He'd been over here probably more times than Scott had. The CPS agent named Sherry followed him, giving Stiles a moment to let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Now with that out of the way his heart started to speed up and his palms began to sweat. Just exactly what was going to happen to him?

After the three of them were all seated Officer Jones cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable. "Stiles, I'm sorry for your loss, truly I am. Your father was a great man and I know this is hard on you, however we need to start processing the paperwork to put you into the foster care system." Stiles' mouth dropped open and his chest constricted.

"You're kidding me right?" The question came out two octaves higher than Stiles would have liked, but his mouth was too dry and bile was rising in the back of his throat. He was on the verge of a panic attack and he couldn't control any of his body. Instead of Officer Jones answering him Agent Sherry took over, her face not nearly as pained as the police's.

"I'm afraid not…Stiles." She paused before saying his name, like she was going over the sounds of it in her head. "You're still a minor in the state of a California and with no guardians left you'll have to become a ward of the state until we can place you in a proper home."

"I'll be turning seventeen in a month!" He protested, brain rattling away trying to find any possible escape out of being some foster care kid.

"Seventeen is still a minor as far as the state of California is concerned." Ms Sherry Farce didn't miss a beat and it pissed Stiles off some. Like she was going to be a roadblock for every idea he could spitball out.

"It's not like I don't have the means to support myself! I have the job down at the autoshop!" Which was true. Ever since Jackson killed the last mechanic they had been looking for someone to fill the position, which of course no one did. Why would anyone want to work as a mechanic where the last one died? Stiles was a bit ill fitted for the job, but he picked up on everything easy enough, so the manager let him stay. "I can get some small, cheap apartment, finish up high school and you can check in on me every month to make sure I'm okay." Sherry sighed, staying silent for a moment afterwards, like she wanted to give this kid what he wanted, but had to stay true to her job instead.

"Stiles, I'm very sorry, but I can't allow that. That would be irresponsible on my part." Stiles scoffed,

"Oh yeah, letting a teenager learn responsibility to take care of himself is extremely irresponsible. Yeah, no, that totally makes sense." His tone was starting to give away just how agitated he was becoming. Showing agitation was better than showing fear. It was the fear that was going to lead to a panic attack. He just had to distract himself from it.

"Mr. Stilinski, I'm sorry you feel that way it's just the way it is." So, she was getting agitated too. Good. Glad to see she wasn't made of stone and Stiles felt a sickening pride in being able to get under skin. There had to be another option. He wasn't just about to be shipped off quietly.

"What about the McCalls? Can I stay with them till I'm an adult?" Stiles blurted, hands slamming down on the table in excitement. Sherry turned to Jones, an eyebrow raised. He tried to hide the smirk and shrugged.

"I imagine your dad would have had no problem with that. And it would be best if you did stay at the same high school in my opinion. Moving at this age can be so much harder." Sherry's mouth pursed in thought before she made one decisive nod.

"Fine. I'll give-" She looked over at Jones again, who filled her in with the blank.

"Melissa McCall."

"I'll give Melissa McCall a call and we'll see if she agrees to that. If not, then I'm sorry to say you will be coming with me Stiles."

"Call her." He shoved his phone towards her and she didn't appreciate the gesture. Pushing it back towards him, she took out her own phone, waiting for officer to give her the number.

When the phone call ended Stiles' heart sped up. He couldn't believe it. Ms McCall had said yes! He'd be living with Scott from now on, which would probably end up getting annoying real fast between the two of them, but still it was better than being shipped off to some fucking stranger's house to never see any of his friends again.

"There are some conditions first. 1. You will start attending school again. You can't afford anymore weeks like this last one. 2. You will stay under Melissa McCall's roof as a dependent, therefore anything she says goes. 3. I'll be checking up on you monthly to make sure everything is going smoothly. If it's not I've reserved the right to pull you out of there and put you in the custody of the state of California. Do you understand Mr. Stilinski?"

Jeez, did this woman ever stop being so serious? "Crystal clear Ms Farce."

"Good." She stood from the table, waiting for Officer Jones before walking to the door. "I'll be seeing you soon Stiles."

"Yeah. You too." He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. One minute they were on a first name basis and the next she was being an uptight, strict business woman. After he closed the door he turned around and leaned on, letting a huge sigh of relief. When he opened his eyes he saw Derek standing at the base of the stairs, watching Stiles with one of his pondering blank stares. If blank stares could be pondering. "Well I'm here to stay!" Stiles tried to smile, but it came off as shaky and Derek cocked his head to the side. "No." Stiles answered sternly before Derek could even ask.

If he heard the question: 'Is something wrong?' one more time he was going to scream and go on a rampage.

"Okay." Derek answered simply which didn't so much as surprise Stiles, but threw him off.

"Okay?" He questioned, eyebrows raising.

"Okay."

"Huh…well then, uh, okay then."

"Stiles, are we done saying okay?"

"Yeah sure. You know I never got the chance to ask you why you were here to begin with?"

"Does it matter?"

"What? Of course it matters." Stiles looked mildly offended, though all in all he was just trying to get some information out of him. "I'm very curious as to why the big head honcho werewolf is in my house and I believe I deserve some answers."

"Stiles, honestly-" Derek stopped short and sniffed the air, before his hazel eyes cut to the door behind Stiles. "Scott's here." Stiles' brow knitted and he opened his mouth to be a smart-ass, but sure enough the doorbell rang, making Stiles jump. He turned around and opened the door, making a disbelieving face at Derek over his shoulder when he revealed Scott, standing there with his hands shoved into his jeans pockets and a sheepish, goofy grin on his face.

"Mom said I should come and help you pack?"

"Yeah fine. But while we're doing that we seriously need to hash some things out because I'm not going to be angry at you constantly if we're living together. I'm too exhausted for that shit as it is." Stiles started towards the stairs, a frowning Scott behind him. Derek watched them both go by and figured that they would manage to work it all and he wasn't needed. "Where are you going?" Stiles stopped half way up, leaning on the railing.

Derek didn't even look back at the boys. "Deal with one thing at a time Stiles. I'll be around whenever you're ready to talk." He waved over his shoulder as Stiles called out at him.

"How do you know when I'll be ready to talk?"

"I just will." With that, Derek shut the front door leaving Scott and Stiles to pack up his entire life and put it into boxes that would fit into both of their vehicles.

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Two months had passed since Sheriff Stilinski had passed and though Stiles wasn't back to his old self he was a tiny bit better than the original catatonic mess he had been immediately after his father's death. Scott and Stiles had managed to talk, which was inadvertently yelling at each other, and work what problems had surfaced out. Scott promised to not disappear with his cell phone turned off anymore and Stiles had promised to not steam over problems Scott didn't even know existed, because in reality Scott had no idea that this problem existed to begin with. Stiles rolled his eyes at this. Scott being dumb and oblivious like always.

Derek hadn't been around as much, though he did checkup on Stiles whenever the usual supernatural crap would occur and the "pack" was forced together in some dangerous situation. Stiles still didn't understand why Derek took a sudden interest in caring. Sure, they did have a lack of family as a common interest, but that didn't mean they were suddenly BFFs. Every time Stiles tried to question Derek about all his motives Derek walked away with a smirk and the same 'ole one-liner of, "You aren't ready." The mysterious bastard.

Sherry Farce had also been checking up on Stiles and was pleased at the site she found. He hadn't missed a day of school since their little meeting and he followed all of Ms McCall's rules. Eh, well, mostly. Scott and Stiles still snuck around and broke the rules like they did before; they just didn't go on constant dates with trouble.

"You sure you're okay with tonight?" Scott asked, eyebrows raised brown eyes open and searching for Stiles' true answer.

"Dude, yes. Just shut the hell up and go on a date with Allison."

"You sure?" Stiles growled and flung his arms around, settling on biting one of his knuckles to keep from screaming at his best friend.

"I'm going to punch you in the nuts if you do not go. End of story. I can take care of myself. Go get laid man. You're getting edgy." Scott blushed and grinned because both of them knew Stiles was right.

Later on that night Stiles was in his room, still weird to think of the McCall's spare bedroom as his but it was, listening to music and finishing up some chemistry when a shuffle of leather scared him. "Jesus Derek!" He flailed, falling off the bed, papers going everywhere. Derek looked mildly amused by it all. "Seriously, there is nothing wrong ever with using a door. Try it once and find out how awesome it can be. Really, using a door is so awesome is can be more addicting than crystal meth."

"Glad to see your sarcasm has returned." The Alpha noted, not moving from the spot in the corner of the room.

"Couldn't keep it away for too long I guess."

"It's a good thing. It's not you otherwise." Stiles stared at Derek for a moment, eyes wide in curiosity. Where the hell was all this coming from suddenly?

"Any particular reason why you're here?"

"I think it's finally time you and I talked."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, timing isn't going to get any better, so I figured why not now. How are you holding up?"

"Ah, jeez. Really this dumbass question?"

"Stiles, just answer it." The tone Derek's voice was holding made Stiles pause from making another very sarcastic quip.

"I'm fine." He answered quickly. "Is that all?"

"I can smell that you're lying. Even if I couldn't, I'd know you're lying. Stiles, how are you holding up?"

"I'm holding up just fine. Holding up and actually feeling something are two very separate things. If you're meaning to ask me how I'm feeling, then here let me give you an honest answer, since you want one so fucking bad. I feel terrible. I feel like lying in bed every single day because I have no motivation to get up. The only reason I do get up is so I won't get shipped off to some strange family. I feel like everyone is looking at me to watch me break down again the way I did with my mom. I feel like they're whispering behind my back and giving me these disgusting, pitiful looks and you know what? I fucking hate it all. This helplessness feeling, the constant ache in my body and the goddamn memories that bring on so much pain I can't even hold back tears. So there you go Derek. That is how I'm feeling."

"There's not a lot I can do to make any of this better. I understand personally, that yes losing everything you've ever had is one of the most painful things to endure. However, I can offer you something." Stiles narrowed his eyes at Derek.

"What?"

"Companionship." If Stiles had been drinking something he would have spit it out in that moment.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm offering a sense of relief from the loneliness." Stiles stared hard for a moment at the older male and then his jaw dropped some.

"Are you…are you offering me what I think…you're offering me?" Derek smirked, because of course Stiles caught on. He was sharper than Scott was, though most people didn't give him credit for it.

"Yes, I'm offering you the bite." After a moment of silence Stiles finally found something to say.

"You realize your uncle offered the same thing and I refused right?" Derek's eyes widened by a fraction and his mouth dropped slightly as if he was going to blurt something out but thought better of it. There was another pause as he reflected on this new information.

"I wasn't aware."

"Well he did and I declined, because being a werewolf looks like a major pain in the ass and you guys are always in trouble and I always somehow end up in the same trouble because of you guys and especially because of Scott and you. Fucking Scott. No, being a werewolf just doesn't seem like something I want to do." Stiles let out a deep breath and Derek took that as a sign he was done with his semi-angry ramble.

"Well, if you were a werewolf you'd be better equipped to handle yourself and I wouldn't always have to save you. There's also-"

"Hey! I've saved your furry ass a couple times too if you recall!"

"There's also the fact that you'll be part of a pack now," Derek continued as if he was never interrupted. "which was the main reason I was bringing it up. With a pack you won't be lonely. It'll be somewhat of a surrogate family that has some assets."

"Companionship." Stiles played with the word.

"Companionship." Derek repeated with a firm nod.

"What if I say no?"

"Then the answer is no." Derek shrugged. "I'm not saying you have to make your decision right now. I'm giving you the option because I think it'd be better for you. With a pack you won't have to constantly feel that slow-burning ache of isolation you have. You won't constantly feel detached and bare."

"Is that how it is for you?" Stiles frowned, mulling over Derek's words and Derek considered the boy's question for a moment.

"Being part of a pack has helped show me that being alone is much more painful that I originally had thought."

"I have Scott."

"Doesn't mean you aren't lonely."

"I'm not lonely!" Stiles defended, anger starting to flare up. It wasn't like Derek could or couldn't tell Stiles what he was feeling. He didn't give a shit if the two were in the same boat or not. Just because they both were practically orphan boys didn't mean they dealt with it in the same way.

"Stiles," Derek growled. "You can't lie to me. I can sense it and smell it on you. You're surrounded by people, but that doesn't mean you aren't lonely!"

"And how is it different for you?" Stiles yelled, his frustration level rising with Derek's. He ignored the thoughts of him and Derek not dealing with things in the same manner for the sake of this argument. Whatever it would take to shut Derek down.

"It's not!" Derek's admitted. His voice was at full volume and Stiles thanked whatever cosmic being existed that Melissa worked nights at the hospital. The next words coming out of Derek's mouth were softer and his eyes held more pain than they had in the previous moment. "But it's getting better. It's easier being surrounded by those three, knowing that we're all in something together and we're a pack."

"A family?" Stiles questioned and Derek just nodded silently. Both of them stayed silent for a couple minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Like I said, you don't have to make a decision tonight. Just think about it. You'd make a great werewolf really. You're practically involved in most of our affairs anyways. I'm just putting the option out there for you. Let me know when you make a decision." Derek left before Stiles could open his mouth to speak, so he just closed it and clamped his jaw tight.

What exactly was he supposed to do in this kind of situation? He really needed to write a manual for future reference. It should be titled: _What To Do When You Find Yourself In Fucked Up Supernatural Situations__. _He liked to imagine it would be a bestseller. Hell, even Oprah might endorse it.

Stiles didn't let Scott know about the offer Derek had given him. Of course he knew he had been in the house, with his werewolf super-nose and all, but Stiles had said he came by looking for him and Stiles told him in the most sarcastic and Stiles-like manner that he was out on a date with his girlfriend and maybe Derek should start working on trying to do the same thing. That had made Scott laugh.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It took another two weeks before Stiles reached a decision. He spent most of his time thinking about the possibility of becoming a werewolf. Every free minute he could muster would be weighing the pros and cons and every little detail in between. Stiles had worried his nails so much that they were sensitive to the touch because the raw skin underneath was exposed. Then there were the two days of pondering over if he made the right decision when he finally did come to a conclusive decision. There was no decisive answer on that one but he supposed there really couldn't be. Wasn't like there was some manual to guide you through, which again, he decided it was high time he wrote one for other people.

After the third day of making his decision Stiles showed up at the warehouse with the abandoned subway car in it after school, locking eyes with Derek. It was surreal for Derek to see Stiles' face so devoid of humor that he almost didn't recognize him. Those honey brown eyes held a determined stare.

"I've made my decision."

* * *

I'd love some reviews to know how I'm doing. This is my first Teen Wolf fic after all. Hopefully I'm doing some kind of justice to Davis' characters.

Looking forward to writing the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

I'm terribly sorry this took so long. I was gone on vacation and I wrote most of this then, but I've been working on it this last week and finally got around to editing it tonight.

So take it. I hope the fact that's much longer than the others makes up for how long it took.

* * *

Derek raised his eyebrows and his jaw fell slack. Stiles paced forward, looking around the creepy hideout. He then noticed there was a lack of sarcastic, snarling, mouthy, teenage werewolves up Derek's ass.

"Where's the gang? Out buying chew toys?" Stiles grimaced as he took in the dull sight around him. "Jeez, every consider brightening the place up?" Derek scowled at the now-seventeen year old boy, casually glancing around the room, his long awkward hands shoved deep into his jean pockets. On the inside though Derek was pleased. Stiles was regaining the snarkiness he had when they first met. He didn't realize he'd actually appreciate the tone. It was so much better than the hollow shell the death of his last remaining family member left him as. Derek didn't understand how Stiles returned so quickly and he wondered if he could ever be the same as he used to be before the fire. He winced as he thought about it. Deciding probably not, he shoved down the memories and focused on the teenager still wandering about the crates.

"Very funny. I imagine they're at school still." Stiles' face twisted for a moment and then he burst into small giggles. "What?" Derek growled. Guess there was no way just to get the information out of Stiles bluntly.

"You don't find it creepy you took a bunch of underage, high school students as your werewolf protégés?"

"They were the ones who needed it. The ones who didn't have anything else. They needed the power, the strength and the comradery."

"Yeah, I guess." And then Stiles was suddenly so sober of laughter again Derek almost had to do a double take at the boy. "It does get lonely every so often."

"Yes." Derek agreed, a slight growl to his tone. It always came up when the thoughts of how he came to be the last of the Hales. How he was used as a tool to destroy his own blood; his own pack. Again, he had to push the emotions down and focus on Stiles. Stiles was here for a purpose. "Okay, spit out the reason you're here or get out." Stiles almost took offense at the distinct change in Derek's behavior and he scoffed at the older male.

"Jeez, if this is how my alpha is going to act all the time then I'm not sure I can hang." The words hung in the air for a moment, Derek's green eyes widening in shock. Had he just misheard what Stiles just said? That's a pretty distinct thing to mishear though.

"What?" He finally has the decency to respond, albeit a shitty one. Stiles' rolls his eyes and smirked. For once he had the upper hand on Derek Hale.

"We both know you heard me. And yes you did hear me correctly. You're my alpha, or you're going to be anyways."

"Is this a joke?"

"What? No! Why do you automatically assume that because it's me it's some kind of joke I find that extremely offensive and I should get some kind of apology or an award or a freaking key to the-"

"Stiles!" Derek bellowed, cutting off his ramble.

"No! It's not a joke!" Stiles responded just as loud, arms flailing around his sides. "I'm being a hundred percent serious right now. I want the bite. I want to be a werewolf. I want to be part of the pack." There's unspoken words that Stiles never says, but he doesn't have to because Derek hears them loud and clear.

_I don't want to be alone._

"Okay." Derek stood from the seat on the crate he's been on since Stiles arrived, dusting his hands on his pants. He walks towards Stiles with determination and focus, unlike the smile he wore when he tried turning Jackson. Jackson deserved the cruel smile. Stiles was another matter entirely.

"What! Now?" The teenager's voice is a couple octaves higher than normal and it even cracks. The questions make Derek stumble and fall short.

"Um…yeah?" The confidence left, because what the hell just happened?

"No! Can we, I don't know, wait until this weekend? Are there 'Werewolf turning appoints' we can schedule? Is Erica your secretary?"

"Stiles." Derek is trying to get the boy back on track because he needs answers. Stiles sensed that, and starts going into overdrive trying to explain himself.

"No, no, no, no! I still want the bite, I just you know, can't miss anymore school, with the whole CPS shenanigans going on and dear lord Scott was terrible when he turned, missing several days and I can't handle that and look can we just wait? Are you free friday? We can totally do it friday right? That gives me three days to adjust…mostly." Stiles is all heavy breathing after that is all out in the open and Derek just starts to laugh at the poor, flailing kid. Eventually, when the laughter dies down Derek actually smiled at him.

"Yeah Friday is fine." Stiles grins at the older man.

"Perfect. Oooh, and I have some conditions."

"Conditions? Are you kidding?"

"Nope." Stiles popped the 'p'. "So my king," he paused to smirk at the twenty-four year old. "I request that in exchange for the bite and becoming one of your pack that a). you not treat me like another one of your guard dogs. I'm not nearly as good as following orders as the others. Alpha wolf-voodoo or not. b). I'm not going to live in this shithole you call a hideout. There's just no way I'm sleeping in an abandoned warehouse/subway station/next film location for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or whatever the fuck it may happen to be. No bueno for Stiles. And then c).-" The door interrupted the ramble of conditions Stiles was spouting. Both males turned to look at the leather-clad gang ambling down the stairs. The three werewolves stopped when they saw Stiles, though he knew they had to be able to smell him from outside but also saw his jeep as they entered.

"Well, look who it is." Isaac smirked, folding his hand into that claw position he was always going for.

"Save it!" Shock rode through all the wolves at the sternness in Stiles' voice.

"Ooh, looks like someone's finally taking control." Of course Erica would make a comment. Of course she would give Stiles lip. Instead of hurling some 'groupie' comment back at her he stared Derek down instead, who adorned the same scowl as always.

"So we have a deal then?" The inquisitive stares from the betas were so worth the blatant ignoring Stiles decided on.

"With amendments yes. a). I'm the Alpha. Tough shit. b). You're still to live with Scott by order of the state so it doesn't matter. Also, best I can do with hunters on my ass right now. And what was point 'c' going to be?" Stiles shifted, eyes not quite moving to the others but Derek knew their presence was stopping him.

"Forget it. We can address it Friday." Stiles turned on his heel, pushing past the demon twin wolves that were crowding his back. Did they always have to be so devious and malicious looking together?

x-x-x-x

The week came and went, leaving Stiles riled up on Friday afternoon. All the Adderall in the world wasn't enough to keep him at a normal jittery state.

"Dude, what is your deal?" Scott snapped during their free period. The teenage boys were lounging out on the bleachers, puzzling the kanima problem that still loomed over them, only Stiles wasn't really focusing on what Scott was saying. It probably wasn't the next Da Vinci Code, so Stiles wasn't too worried.

"Huh? Nothing is my deal."

"Right, okay. I know you're lying."

"Can you smell it?" Stiles asked, curiosity suddenly piqued.

"What? No! I know you're lying because we've been friends for so long. Where did that come from?"

"Figured I needed to be informed on wolf senses. Bet it'll come in handy when I have to save your ass again." He didn't even flinch as he lied. It was almost a reflex, like breathing or walking. Don't think, just do. So maybe werewolves didn't have magic smelling abilities. He'd overestimated them some.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Peachy. Just haven't slept in like two days."

"Ah that explains it." Scott smiled knowingly as Stiles took another sip from his can of Mountain Dew. "Just cool it on the sugar and drugs a little bit. Wouldn't want a repeat of The Great Crash of Winter Finals."

"Oh shit no." Stiles joined in with Scott as they both laughed over older memories. They seemed so distant, even though they'd only been a little more than over a year ago. When the bell rang to signal the start of the last class of the day the boys gathered their stuff up and headed indoors. Only one more hour stood in between Stiles and his life altering decision.

It turned out to be a short hour that kept Stiles' foot constantly tapping and his nails in between his teeth. The bell was shrill in Stiles' ears as he darted in between other kids and out the door to his baby.

"Stiles! Man, wait up!" Scott yelled, chasing after him.

"Hm? What?" His stop was abrupt and little clumsier than he would have liked it to be, but truly he wasn't expecting grace. Grace came with a miracle and Stiles rarely came in to contact with such frivolous things. Especially when he was twice as jittery as he normally was.

"We hanging out tonight?"

"Oh, really? Scot, look man, I love you and all but you are smothering me. Go out with Allison and have a wonderful time."

"What are you doing?"

"Derek actually wanted some help looking over some stuff about the kanima."

"Derek?"

"Uh yeah. You know, the broody guy who lurks around teenagers, turning them into supernatural creatures of the night." He had to swallow his hysterical giggles, because seriously, he was a few hours away from being a supernatural creature of the night himself.

"You want help?"

"Nah, I know you and research. Give you twenty minutes and you'll be dying to go makeout with Allison. Saving you the trouble really."

"Okay, if you're sure." Scott still looked skeptical though and Stiles had to roll his eyes. He was essentially giving the dude a free hall pass to go get laid and the guy wasn't taking a hint. Really?

"I am. Oh and cover for me if you have to." Stiles rushed off, leaving Scott gaping and calling after him.

"Should I be worried now?"

"Probably!" Stiles called back, grinning over his shoulder at his best friend. It wouldn't take long for Scott to forget Stiles. Not that Scott was a shitty friend, but as soon as he was around Allison Stiles was basically nada on his radar. Stiles couldn't blame him. If he had a hot girl to go fool around with he'd probably forget his own name, let alone the fact that he had a best friend. When he pulled in to the McCall's driveway Melissa was locking the front door.

"Hey Ms McCall!" Stiles greeted, fumbling with the lock.

"Hi Stiles. Dinner is in the fridge for you and Scott. I'll be working a double."

"Okay! Thanks! Be careful!"

"You too. Stay out of trouble tonight." Stiles grinned at his surrogate mom.

"We always stay out of trouble."

"In another life maybe." Melissa snorted, before turning to go get into the car.

"We'll be good. I promise."

"Holding you to that Stiles!" as she was about to shut the door, she peered over the top, pinning the child with her gaze. "I mean it! Be good!"

"Aye-aye captain!" Stiles shut the door and raced up the stairs, throwing his backpack off as soon as he got in the room. He found a duffel and started chunking different articles of clothing in to it. He wasn't quite sure how the process would go. Most of the other teenagers that had been turned had only needed one day to adjust-from what Stiles had seen anyways- but odds were never in Stiles Stilinski's favor. Pausing for a moment, Stiles reached under his shirt, unclasping a titanium chain he had had forever. It was the objects hanging on the chain that were new additions. He took a deep breath as he eyed the two matching bands of metal spinning on the end of the chain. He thought about keeping it on, but then decided better of it. What if the wedding bands got destroyed in the process of him changing? He didn't exactly know how violent the change could be initially. Stiles tucked the necklace into one of the pockets of the duffel and patted it as if the action would keep it safe.

Turning through the room until he decided he was satisfied, Stiles nodded and walked out. His breathing sped up as he started the ignition to the jeep and backed out of the driveway. He was really going through with this. Maybe staying human wouldn't be a bad thing though. There wasn't anything wrong with being a human. A tiny, weak, fragile human. Okay, so maybe turning would be a good thing.

_Jesus fucking Christ_!

Stiles banged his fists against the steering wheel, letting several colorful words spill from his mouth. Derek would understand if he decided to back out of taking the bite. It wasn't permanent yet. However, once he did take the bite there was no going back. But what did he have to go back to? Stiles didn't have parents to keep safe anymore. No family to try and not destroy under the influence of every full moon. Before he could register anything else a car honked behind him.

"Yes, yes. I hear you." Stiles muttered, pressing down on the gas. Another ten minutes of conflicting thoughts swirling through the teenager's mind and he found himself putting his jeep into park, shutting the ignition off and slinging the duffel over his shoulder as he got out in front of the abandoned depot station.

"Just couldn't stay away." Erica mocked as he trotted down the stairs. Stiles was on point though this time around.

"'Course not. With your beautiful face being here and all. I hope I get to turn into a leathery princess when I take the bite too." He didn't stop as the three jaws in the room dropped. In fact he found it entirely too funny. "Where's your daddy? I need a word with him."

"Don't call me that." Derek emerged from one of the subway cars, oil stains on his white wife beater which looked oddly out of place with the black slacks Stiles noted.

"Yes master." Derek grimaced at that nickname too, which made Stiles want to use it all the more. His grin widened when Derek decided to ignore commenting on the last one.

"You ready?"

"What if I told you I changed my mind?" The Alpha looked away from Stiles, mouth sealed into a tight line. It was like he was expecting this to happen all along. Expecting someone to back out on him. Finally he looked back at Stiles, a deep scowl etched into his face.

"Have you?" Derek's voice was neutral, very controlled and Stiles wondered for a brief second exactly how much energy he was exerting by putting so much control in his voice.

"Several times, actually. Keep coming back to the initial decision though."

"This is it. There is no going back Stiles."

"I have nothing to go back to." A look of understanding crossed between Stiles and Derek. It was a look that only people who lost everything could see. A look so hollow it could make the very bottom of a soul ache for decades.

"If you're sure."

"Derek, what's going on?" Boyd stepped closer to his Alpha, so many questions floating in his gaze. Isaac and Erica had similar looks in their eyes, both pairs flicking from Stiles to Derek and back again.

"Daddy didn't tell you?" Stiles grinned, mood shifting completely, which made Derek cock his head to the side, though the glower at Stiles' pet name was still there. "Oops, sorry. Master didn't tell you? I'm joining the pack. Falling in with the ranks and all." Stiles could not picture a better look for these three than gaping mouths and wide eyes. He was really getting too much of a kick out of it.

"Stiles." Derek interrupted with a growl. The teenager turned back to face him and shrugged, completely unfazed by the low rumbling.

"Okay sourwolf if you have to ruin all the fun."

"I'm already starting to regret agreeing to this." Derek sighed and Stiles beamed, bouncing from foot to foot.

x-x-x-x

Later on after the sun had sunken Stiles found himself pacing the warehouse, giddy mood long gone and nerves coiling in the pit of his stomach instead. Derek sent Boyd, Erica, and Isaac out to keep a lookout in town to make sure the Argents or any other hunters weren't up to anything tonight.

"Stiles, stop." Derek hadn't taken his eyes off the teen all afternoon and the quick, jerky movements were grating on Derek's last bit of patience.

"Sorry, I can't help it. I'm still slightly freaking out and I mostly just want to get it over with and jesus fucking christ I haven't even really considered the pain. You're 'gonna end up taking a huge chunk out of my side. How do you even get that big of a bite? Does your jaw unhinge like a snake's? _Oh my god_ this is going to fucking hurt! Not to mention the pain from the actual change! Is it okay if I cry? Would you judge me if I cried? I'm probably just going to cry. Fuck me side-"

"Stiles!" Derek's voice echoed through the warehouse, freezing Stiles to his spot instantly. "First, calm down. You're going to give yourself a panic attack. Secondly, the change is different for everyone. With some people it'll only last a day or two. For others it could be longer. That also goes with the pain. The initial bite will hurt, yes. Pain after usually varies. There's also the chance it won't take."

"Like Jackson?" Derek could only meet Stiles' gaze for a few seconds before he had to look away.

"Yes, like Jackson." The silence stretched between them both until Stiles fidgeted under the tension of it. He could never stand true silence for too long.

"Well, there's one way to find out." He clapped his hands together and shucked his shirt, scowling when it hit a thick pile of dirt, a cloud forming in the air.

"Wait, you had a third condition you never got to name. What was it?"

"Oh." Stiles shifted from foot to foot, suddenly uncomfortable. Rubbing at the nape of his neck he opened his mouth just to close it again. He repeated the same motion a couple more times before crossing his arms over his chest and worrying at his lip, brow pulling down.

"Well what is it?" Derek was leaning forward on the edge of the crate he was sitting on. If it was something that was leaving Stiles Stilinski without words it had to be interesting.

"I wasn't going to bring it up again. Honestly, didn't even think you would have remembered. Almost seems stupid now." Once the words were pouring out they wouldn't stop, like a damn breaking. It was now or never. "My third condition was that you stay with me through the change." As Stiles blurted it out his cheeks and neck reddened. Being half naked wasn't making it any easier. "I just didn't want to go through it alone and I'm nervous and okay I'll admit frightened even. I just-I…I don't want to be in pain alone with no clue what's happening." His breathing was labored and he felt a little stupid, but the words were out. More silence covered the two like a heavy wool blanket that made Stiles' breathing hitch some. Fucking silence. "Nevermind. Like I said: stupid. I'm being slightly-"

"Stiles, shut up." Derek's tone was different from before. It sounded a lot more coated with fondness than the annoyance that he was used to and that in itself made Stiles' breathing come a lot easier. "Of course I'll stay. I'm going to be your Alpha after all. It's my job."

"Your job?"

"It's my job to protect the pack." Derek said quietly and Stiles bit at his bottom lip as he tried to not to inspect the sentence too hard. His thinking shifted as Derek stood and started walking towards Stiles though. The movement made Stiles nervous and he was pretty sure he was going to have a heart attack. Hearts shouldn't be able to beat this fast. Derek grabbed his upper arm and started guiding the boy into the subway where sat him down on one of the benches. "Sitting might help you relax some." Derek offered, already feeling the questions oozing from Stiles.

"Ye-yeah sure."

"I don't understand how you can be so confident one minute and completely wrecked the next. You confuse me." Derek wasn't looking at Stiles, which, _what the hell? _Can a person admit something like that and not make eye contact?

"Something I've learned I guess. Easier than being a total wreck all the time." He looked down at Derek where was kneeling at Stiles' legs, still not making eye contact. Stiles figured he could keep talking for both of them. "Better than staying broken. Staying huddled in your own little corner, constantly drowning in despair.

"I thought you wanted to stay that way for a while." Derek's voice was soft and he still wasn't looking up.

"I did honestly. Thought about killing myself. Fuck, I even Googled the best possible way to do it." Derek's head shot up as Stiles admitted this. "When…when my mom died I had to be there for my dad. Had to nudge him back into the living day by day. I had to do that while somehow getting over her death myself. But someone needed me, so I kept going and goddamnit I was so young! How can anyone expect a kid to keep moving like that?" Stiles had tears in his eyes, hands violently rubbing back and forth over his head. "I didn't have a clue Derek. I didn't fucking have a clue. My dad…well he turned to alcohol…fuck." The last word was soft, barely even a whisper. He didn't understand why he was pouring all of this out into the open with Derek, but he recalled previous conversations, even if they came to him slightly hazy. He knew loneliness better than any of his other friends. Several minutes of silence passed and Derek felt he should probably say something.

"You can keep going…if you want." Stiles snorted and actually cracked a smile.

"Wow. Derek Hale actually wanting me to keep talking." Derek had to smile too, because the teen was right. The Olympics occurred more often than the request for Stiles to continue speaking.

"I know it feels better to talk than to hear those same thoughts in your head. If they stay in they'll get more vicious, you'll feel weaker and only end up hating yourself." Stiles nodded and was overwhelmed with how many times the universe made it clear that Derek knew exactly how was Stiles was feeling.

"Scott doesn't understand. Never has really."

"You're really good at hiding it."

"Had to be. Had to grow up before I even knew what jacking off was." The image made Derek's face contort a little in immediate disgust. Only Stiles would make up such a comparison. It wasn't just that that made Derek uncomfortable though. It was the sudden understanding, a new light dawning on how he viewed Stiles. A seriousness he'd rarely gotten a glimpse of. Yet here he was, responding to all of it. Giving appropriate responses, not one-worded answers. Derek was voicing his thoughts and his personal experience on the matter. What was happening?

"You ready?" A change in topic was definitely needed. Derek needed a break from this newly found openness. He needed a breather.

"We done having a heart to heart?" It came out as a joke but was received with silence, which in turn was the answer. "Yeah, you're right. They're stupid anyways."

"Stiles."

"Nah, let's do this before I chicken out." Stiles let his head fall back so he couldn't see Derek, which may have been a terrible idea, because as soon as Derek shifted a squeak launched from Stiles and he's not sure he has the dignity to look the Alpha in the eye.

"For god's sake, calm down!" Derek pulled Stiles down some, both hands gripping his slender hips. Stiles head shot up in surprise and arousal was starting to mix with the fear. Derek paused for a moment before looking at Stiles incredulously. "Really?"

"I'm a teenager, so sue me!"

"You think you could control yourself a bit more though." Stiles didn't even try to hide the starting of the tent forming. What would be the point now? It'd only make it that much more embarrassing.

"Again, hello, I'm a teenager! Not like this happens all the time. No one else goes grabbing at my hips like that and let's face it, it's not like you look like Frankenstein's monster or anything. I mean, fuck, does being a werewolf come with the perks of being a Greek god or-AH FUCK!" Derek's fangs sinking into Stiles' side snapped his train of thought. The fangs kept sinking in and as Stiles felt them push further into the meat of his side he thought he was going to pass out. Seconds seemed to elongate into minutes making the teenage boy under the teeth curious as to how long the bite had to be. The curiosity was replaced by pain quickly as Derek shifted, teeth pulling as well. Turns out Derek was pulling back, making Stiles wince and cry out as he pulled free. Blood oozed from the wound, giving everything it was in close proximity with a red tint, including the majority of Derek's jaw.

"Jesus." Stiles breathed, catching sight of the mess the two of them made. As he tried to move he made a strangled cry again and clutched onto the seat for dear life, willing the pain to subside.

"Hold still." Derek's voice was too much growl and not enough human, but for some reason it wasn't a concern for Stiles, even though it definitely should have been.

"Y-ye…"yeah." He managed, in between deep breaths and trying to very slowly find a spot he could comfortably sit in, so he could heed orders for once. Catching Derek's eye again, Stiles stilled and Derek leaned forward licking at the edges of the wound. Stiles hissed at the wet pressure, but again found himself oddly comfortable with the situation. "Am I clean yet?" The younger male was extremely grateful his voice didn't crack. The joke wouldn't have been nearly as useful otherwise.

"Yes, mostly. We'll get a rag for it. Though if the bite took it'll heal on its own."

"And if it didn't take I'll just have the most glorious infection ever. Wonderful."

"Shut up." Derek rolled his eyes.

x-x-x-x

"How long does this usually take?" Stiles glanced over at Derek again, who sat shoulder to shoulder with him.

"I told you it differs." Two hours had passed since Derek bit into Stiles and nothing had changed. Stiles poked at the wound on his side, making a disgusted face when crusted blood fell away.

"Well in the mean time you have anything we could do while we wait?"

"Sit here quietly." The Alpha leaned his head back on the seat and closed his eyes, breathing falling even.

"Are you even-seriously?" Stiles frowned and shook his head, deciding to exit the subway instead, careful of his injured side. "Stupid, stoic sourwolf. Jesus, it's so depressing in here." He looked from wall to wall, eyes taking inventory. There was mold stains, dirt, what looked like a blood stain, dirt, chipped paint, and oh hey look at that, more dirt. Fantastic. "Derek have you ever considered hiring a maid? Bet it would-" Stiles' sentence was cut short by a scream. His scream. Derek bounded out of the subway, fighting the old doors, seeing Stiles writhing on the floor, hands scraping at the cement, grasping for something to hold on to.

"Stiles!" The high pitched noises coming from Stiles made Derek wince. He dropped down, gathering Stiles in his arms and grabbing his jaw so they could lock eyes. "Look at me Stiles. Breathe." The teen tried to abide his orders, but with the oncoming wave of pain he couldn't hold back the scream ripping its way out of his throat. "I know it hurts. It's going to be fine." Stiles found one of Derek's hands, clutching on to it for dear life.

"Can't." He breathed weakly, before his eyes rolled back into his head and his world went black.

x-x-x-x

When Stiles came to he thought he was alone at first, but as he shifted his gaze he could see Derek lying beside him. The next thought that ran through Stiles' head concerned the unnaturally open breeze he felt on his body.

"Oh my god!" He shot up once he realized he was completely naked. Naked and lying next to Derek. "Why-where-what?" Stiles was having issues forming a coherent thought. He stopped and took several deep breaths, urging his body not to freak out. He continued when he had a better handle on himself. "Why am I naked?" Blood rushed to the boy's face as he said the words.

"You were overheating. I put you in ice water to fight it."

"Oh." He was silent until a new thought crossed his mind, none that had to do with his original freak out. "How many times did I overheat last night?"

"Only once." A sense of relief flooded Stiles' body. So he'd only been close to making his entire body melt itself once. Awesome. "Stiles that was just last night. The first night you overheated six times." All that relief left his body as quickly as it came.

"Holy god." Stiles croaked, falling back from his sitting position, only to get right back up. Laying down left him a little too exposed for comfort. "Clothes?" Derek stood and Stiles was wishing he wasn't the only one naked. Being the only one baring skin was unsettling. Plus, Derek couldn't have been that bad looking. Stiles' eyes widened and he bit his tongue while inwardly freaking out at himself. He definitely just thought that. He definitely could not think like that again. Derek would actually murder him and he wanted to murder himself. Honestly, where had that even managed to spring up from?

A wolf whistle startled Stiles out of his racing thoughts and he scrambled to cover himself some.

"Don't be shy." Erica grinned and Stiles yanked his duffel out of Derek's hand. "You're pack now."

"Oh, so you guys all get naked together? Great, a nudist, supernatural cult."

"No. Erica just doesn't understand personal boundaries." Boyd explained, smirk intact.

"Lacrosse does you good." Stiles froze as he finished pulling his boxers on, gaping at the blonde she-wolf. Stiles wasn't buff like the other guys on the team, but he did have defined leg muscles he was proud of most of the time.

"Say 'thank you' and put your clothes on." Derek snapped, though there was a hint of amusement hidden in his tone.

"Does this mean I'm a wolf?" He was definitely backtracking in the conversation, but a change of topic was due before he died of embarrassment.

"You tell us." All five of them fell silent waiting, but when nothing happened Stiles shrugged. "Focus." The word was sharp and full of annoyance.

"Jeez, alright." This time Stiles closed his eyes. A gasp broke the thick silence as an entirely new world came into focus. He could hear four heartbeats, but could only feel his own. Beyond the hearts he could hear dust crackling as it settled on the roof of the subway car. His eyebrows pulled together as he tried to concentrate on noises further out. A smile lit up his face when the sound of wind rustling tree leaves became crystal clear. "Holy god." He breathed, opening his eyes to reveal to the rest of the pack glowing amber, much brighter than his original brown.

The urge to test his body's new abilities out overcame any previous questions Stiles felt the need to ask his Alpha. He ruffled through his bag, pulling out some of his lacrosse practice shorts and his necklace, putting on the shorts first.

"What's that?" Erica leaned forward as she peered at the chain Stiles was clasping shut.

"Oh. Um…they're my parent's wedding rings." Stiles could feel his skin heat up as he grew uncomfortable. It never crossed his mind he'd have to explain the piece of jewelry to someone else and suddenly it felt silly. He didn't take the necklace off, but decided to exit the car and was taking the stairs two at a time on his way out of the hideout. The abandoned building was already on the outskirts of town so he didn't have to worry about people seeing him. The sun was setting as Stiles started running, heading where pine smelled the strongest. The closer he got to the forest the more he found himself immersed in the rich scents of the earth. Besides the pine overflowing his nostrils, he could smell the dirt: rich and sharp, the moss: dank and musty and the brush: decayed and crisp.

The scents weren't the only thing opening up in Stiles' new world. Every sound was intensified as if someone had put the tiniest of noises on a track he could listen to through headphones. Birds called to one another, insects chirped goodbye songs as they prepared for winter and the rocks and wood chips crackled underneath his moving feet. No. That noise was multiplied, too echoed to be just his. Stiles craned his head to see a blur of black before his foot caught on a root and he went down. The fall had more grace than he would have managed if he were human. Before he would have fallen and never seen it coming. Now he was looking at the ground very clearly as he was colliding with it. Stiles put his hands out, pushing his weight forward and the rest of his body followed through the tumble. His feet were back under him in seconds and it was like he never even stumbled. Instead of turning back around Stiles relied on one of his newly found senses, hoping it would actually work. One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds.

_There._

Two flanked his left. Again. One second, two seconds.

_Bingo._

Another was on his right. A twig snapped directly behind him and the air shifted at the nape of his neck and wrist. Stiles smirked and ducked right, pushing his legs harder, urging them to go faster. A frustrated growl released where Stiles had previously been and he knew that growl from anywhere.

"Nice try." He called breathlessly at his pack. His jabs were cut short by his sudden need to focus on the changing terrain. The soft dirt was turning more into rocks. They didn't really hurt the soles of his bare feet, which confused Stiles. How far did werewolf strength go? "Oh my god." Stiles cried skidding to a halt, almost falling on his ass, as the land he'd been running on vanished. The other four stopped as well, breaths coming in huffs identical to Stiles.

"What are you doing?" Derek snatched him by the nape of his neck and Stiles tried to duck and squirm out of the hold.

"Checking things out." Stiles finally wriggled out of Derek's hold and backed up a couple feet, anger finally hitting him. "I was curious as to how different things were. Excuse me, for exploring the gift you gave me." Derek's eyes flashed red at his tone, making Stiles flinch and drop his gaze. His anger however did not dissipate. "If you think pulling that I'm the Alpha bullshit is going to work, let me tell you, you definitely have another thing coming." Stiles felt ridiculous not being able to meet Derek's eyes while telling him off, but it seemed physically impossible to gaze defiantly into those frightening red orbs.

"Leave." At first Stiles was confused, because where exactly was he supposed to go at the moment, but when the three Betas started to turn away and head back the way they initially came he realized Derek wasn't talking to him.

"Oomph." Stiles felt the air leave his chest as Derek slammed him against a tree and it didn't feel all that different from when he was human, except the bark biting into his back didn't really hurt.

"You will fall into line. I am your Alpha and you will listen to me." Stiles mouthed dropped open some at the growl and there was that red again, too bright, too powerful to look at.

"Control issues much." Derek pushed harder as Stiles sneered. Physically he wanted to quit challenging Derek, but he wasn't the type of person to be pushed around. His new werewolf and his original personality were definitely clashing right, but there was a bet somewhere that he could reign in his wolf and get him on his side. The inner wolf whined and Stiles physically felt him lie down and bare his stomach in submission.

No, Stiles' wolf knew exactly who was stronger and who was in charge and it definitely wasn't him.

"You just submitted." Derek smirked and Stiles was confused, because he sure as hell didn't submit. He wasn't done picking a fight just yet; he wasn't quite that smart and didn't have that much self-preservation.

"No I didn't." It came out a little more childish than we would have cared to admit, but a fight's a fight.

"You tilted your head." Derek ran a finger along Stiles' throat, which just so happened to be turned out some, son of a bitch Derek was right. The lengthened nail at the end of his claw scraped over his jugular and Stiles shivered and let out a small whine, gritting his teeth afterwards. "You've got a whole new game to learn." Derek pushed off of Stiles and started walking away, leaving Stiles somehow pinned to the tree, until plans started formulating in his hyperactive brain.

Stiles started at a jog to catch up to Derek, but bursted into a sprint when he closed in to a couple of feet, knocking Derek over to the ground.

"Stiles!" He growled, up on his feet already chasing after the laughing boy. The older werewolf didn't have much trouble gaining the ground back. His legs were longer and stronger and on top of that he outweighed Stiles in muscle by at least thirty pounds. Stiles went down like a sack of flour when Derek landed on top of him, growling and pressing his fangs to his throat. He was expecting submission and there was no other compromise to that fact. It confused Derek when he felt the newly turned werewolf shake with laughter and he lifted his head to see.

There was no mistake that Stiles was laughing, but he was laughing so hard his face was turning red and tears were leaking out of the corner of his eyes. Derek had never seen Stiles laugh this hard before, especially not anytime recently.

"Why are you laughing?" His voice betrayed how confused he really was, but he couldn't find the effort to care.

"You, you sourwolf." Stiles breathed, when he got a decent amount of control over himself. As they locked eyes Derek could see the bright gold was alight with humor.

"Me?"

"I was just playing around with you and of course you would take it all seriously, because hey that's what you do. You brood." Stiles settled his golden glowing eyes on Derek; grin still intact, though it fell as seconds passed. Then it was Stiles' lips on his and Derek wasn't sure what to do. He pulled back some, but Stiles pushed up into him, reconnecting their lips and then just as suddenly as it had started it was over. The kiss was nothing special and there was definitely nothing sexy or alluring about it. If anything it was a chaste peck of two chapped and worn lips. Stiles let his head drop to the soft earth below them, eyes hooded over and a small smile on his face. Derek frowned down at him and maybe it was the change in the expression that brought on Stiles' freak out.

"Oh…oh my –Derek! Oh god please don't kill me! Shit, shit, shit, sorry. What the fuck was I thinking-ah shit, shit, I wasn't. Sorry." Derek lifted one of his hands from the ground that was supporting his weight and slapped it over Stiles' mouth.

"Shut up and listen. " Stiles nodded his head, bright eyes grown wide. "We aren't going to talk about that. Ever. Again. Agreed?" Stiles answered, though it was nothing but garbled noises underneath Derek's large hand. Derek assumed that he agreed and released the boy, standing up. Stiles followed, brushing dirt off of his stomach and what he could reach of his bare back.

Neither one spoke on the way back to the depot and when they did arrive Stiles made himself comfy amongst Isaac, Erica and Boyd while Derek just looked over them, paying close attention to Stiles.

* * *

The ending was abrupt. I wasn't sure what to do with it so I left it at that.

Review.


	4. Chapter 4

I realize this has not been updated in forever and I'm sorry. I just started back at school and I'm super tired, but I had to post this tonight for you guys. I apologize.

Thank you to Morgan for all the help, input and beta work she put into this chapter. My fic mate for life.

* * *

Stiles was already in his room when Scott came barreling through the door, eyes already molten gold and teeth elongated.

"Stiles who's here-" Scott stopped short when he saw that Stiles was sitting on his bed, alone in the room. The color of his eyes matching the color in Scott's own eyes. "WHAT THE FUCK?" He screamed, rushing Stiles and examining every part of him he could get his hands on.

"DUDE! Get the hell off!" Stiles yelled back, sending the other boy to the floor before Melissa came hurrying into the room.

"What is going on up here? What are you two doing?" She sounded exasperated as she stared at the two clinging to each other's shirts, fist poised in the air. It wasn't their first wrestling match and Melissa knew that it wouldn't be their last. With a sigh she warned them, "Scott, keep your inhaler close. Stiles don't sprain your wrist again." and took her leave, feet stomping with purpose. When she was clear out of earshot both boys dropped their fists and flung themselves away from each other.

"What the hell man?" Scott hissed. "When did this happen?" His eyes widened in sudden realization and Stiles had to bite his lip from smiling, because as much as his world was changing, Scott was the same old thing he'd known forever. "This is when you went to Derek's!"

"Yup."

"I'm going to kill him. He can't turn you! I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fucking kill him." Scott started pacing the room and Stiles didn't need to be a supernatural being to tell how pissed off he is.

"Scott, jesus! Calm down! What are you protecting my virginity or something?" Scott whipped his head, eyes wide in horror and Stiles starts flailing his arms everywhere, trying to explain. "No, no, no, no! That's not what I meant!" Stiles face started heating up and dear god why Scott couldn't have assumed something else. Nothing else was going to happen between him and Derek. That was made perfectly clear earlier tonight.

Not that Stiles was really looking for anything. He really wasn't even thinking when he had kissed Derek. It had been one of those carefree moments that Stiles had vague knowledge about from different romantic movies. For a tiny second he'd actually forgotten who he was with and the body was warm and pressed up against him and dear god it felt so good why not just leap at the chance to get physical with it. The newly adopted werewolf senses had him in overdrive and the longer the time dragged on from the moment he pressed his lips to Derek's, the clearer it became to Stiles.

Definitely just overdriven senses. There was absolutely no fucking way he was going after Derek. It's not like he found him overly attractive.

No!

He didn't find him attractive at all. Even though, he had admitted more than once that yeah, Derek was quite attractive. Oh, this was a losing battle. However, it could be just a losing battle in his mind. Derek didn't have to know anything about it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Scott's soft voice broke Stiles' thoughts on Derek.

"I just didn't want you to stop me."

"I wouldn't-"

"Oh please, Scott. You know you would have. You tried to stop Derek from turning Boyd and you weren't even really friends with him. You really expect me to believe you wouldn't have stopped this from happening?" A small smile appeared on Scott's face. They truly did know each other like the back of their hands.

"Fine, but…"

"Why?" Stiles finished when Scott trailed off. He nodded and Stiles sat on the bed next to where Scott plopped down after their fight.

"Why not? What else was left?" Silence filled the room for a couple minutes as both let those words sink in.

"I was still here." Stiles looked long and hard at Scott for a moment. Seeing his hands curled into fists on his lap, eyes narrowed at the floor. When he did look up tears were mixing with the anger. "I was here. I never left, you weren't alone."

"Scott, I thought we already hashed this out man." Stiles rubbed the back of his neck a little guiltily.

"We did. I thought we did and then you go and do this Stiles!" He motions to nothing in particular but Stiles can take a guess at what he means.

"Stop acting like it's such a curse Scott." It comes out a little bitchier than Stiles would have liked but he's not going to act like he regrets becoming a werewolf just because Scott still has problems with being one.

"You know Stiles, thanks for shoving that aside I'll just be over here still fucking upset about how I didn't ask to be turned! How I didn't ask for any of this bullshit that is suddenly on my plate!" Scott was yelling, inches away from Stiles now and Stiles wasn't going to back down either.

"I didn't ask for any of it either!" He yelled back, jaw tense, wolf eyes flaring. The stare down lasted for two minutes tops, yet their wolves snarling inside of them turned the two into what felt like longer. Finally Scott huffed, opened his mouth like he had one more thing to say to Stiles then closed it before storming out of the room.

Stiles let out the same angry breath and collapsed on his bed, trying to relax his tense muscles and his wolf's hackles.

It didn't work.

-x-x-x-x

Scott and Stiles ignore each other for the rest of the week, giving each other catty glances and snarky remarks when they get the chance. Allison is so lost and tries to remedy the situation after school one day but the two boys refuse to talk to each other. As she sat there, gaping, confused and slightly pissed off Stiles wondered why she hadn't mentioned the werewolf thing to him yet.

His eyes widened and he took a good long look at Scott, who was deflecting some of Allison's frustrated slaps, though they can't really hurt him. Scott didn't tell Allison that Stiles had turned. He told Allison everything though…most of the time, just like he told Stiles everything…most of the time.

"I have to go." Stiles muttered quickly, ducking around the couple and mingled into a group of kids heading towards the parking lot.

The drive to Derek's hideout was uneventful enough, though his mind spilled too many thoughts to keep focus on and Stiles found himself swerving in and out of his lane when he wasn't paying attention. When he hopped out of his jeep he was met by Derek who had the disinterested look he always wore. Stiles opened his mouth to let out his frustrations and boggled mind to Derek, but froze and his mouth twisted up in irritation as he puzzled over how to start. Derek stared for a moment, confounded by the faces Stiles was making.

"You want to go for a walk?" Stiles finally blurted out, deciding that maybe the focus on something besides Scott would do his brain some good. He didn't notice the color drain from Derek's face and sternness lock in his features. Eventually he jerked his head in what Stiles took as a nod and the two started towards the forest, Stiles still finding the words to say as they went along.

"What is it?" Derek snapped, irritated by Stiles ramped up tweaks.

"That's rude." Stiles snapped back, but then continued to speak as if he didn't actually care if Derek was being impolite to him. "Scott's all pissed off because I didn't tell him I was going to take the bite and jesus fucking christ it isn't his decision, it was mine. It's not like he has to be up my ass about all my choice. But no, it's a werewolf bite so it's automatically bad and it doesn't matter who it is that takes it they shouldn't take it because being a werewolf sucks ass and I just want to fucking scream!" Stiles threw his hands in the air, voice almost to a yelling volume by the end of the entire rant. He stopped and took a deep breath, waiting for Derek's response.

Which never came.

Stiles looked over at his alpha who stared at him with that same dull expression on his face. Had it changed at all?

"Aren't you going to say anything? That's how conversations work you know!"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything!" Stiles cried, even more frustrated.

"I don't have anything to say."

"Oh my god. You are actually the worst social person in the world. Somehow I thought I was awkward. Or Scott was awkward, but no oh my god it is actually Derek Hale. It's you. Congratulations you win."

"What do you want me to say?" Derek repeated, shrugging. Stiles narrowed his eyes for a moment, and then threw his arms in the air again, stalking off in a different direction. Derek followed wordlessly, not sure if Stiles was really done ranting about his best friend or not. He didn't speak about it again, which seemed short of a miracle since this was Stiles, but Derek wasn't going to push it. The two walked side by side and Derek saw Stiles cock his head to the side out of the corner of his eye. "What?" Derek asked, not sure if he should be concerned with his surroundings or annoyed at another full blown rant about to be spewed all over him.

"Just a thought." Stiles muttered, biting on his lip.

"Hmph." Derek grunted, clearly going to wait for Stiles to continue on his own. Silence lays over them for another ten minutes as they continue absently navigating the forest, no real destination in mind.

"Can we turn into real wolves?" Stiles finally asked, stopping to stare at Derek. The question took him by surprise. None of his betas had asked him this and he actually hadn't thought it relevant information.

"Born-werewolves can." Stiles took a few seconds to let that information soak in, before moving on.

"What about turned?"

"It's rare, but it has happened."

"Rare huh?"

"Yeah. It's not such a natural gift to those who are turned like it is for those who are born."

"Okay then." And just like Stiles starts walking again, like he had never asked the question to begin with. Suddenly Derek is curious and is the one asking questions.

"Why did you want to know?"

"Curiosity."

"Stiles." Derek rolled his eyes.

"Look I just wanted to know." He paused for a second in thought and turned to Derek before asking him, "Do you have that laptop your uncle was using? Scott said something about the information on defeating the kanima was on it. Does he have anything else?" Derek didn't answer right away; trying to solve the game Stiles was playing at.

"I don't have the laptop, but I did copy all the files on to one. As for anything else, yes the entire library my family had on supernatural creatures is on it." Stiles perked up, wheels obviously turning in his mind.

"Can I borrow it to copy the files?"

"Why?"

"Derek, come on."

"Fine no files."

"Derek don't be an ass!"

"_Stiles._"

"Fine! I just want to know the process for changing into a full wolf. I think it would be interesting and also an advantage to some degree. Not to mention knowing anything else about the supernatural would come in handy too. Oh yeah, and you have a habit of forgetting to tell the people you turn all the little details of being a werewolf. I'd like to inform myself thanks." They stared at each other, though Derek's was more of a glare.

"Fine." He finally agreed, walking back towards the depot. He didn't miss Stiles fist pump though and rolled his eyes.

Several days later Stiles brought the laptop back, a large black binder in his other hand. Derek was oddly curious and followed Stiles into the woods where he sat down against a tree and began shifting through the binder. Derek watched for a few moments and when Stiles didn't look up from his highlighting and scribbling he headed back into the depot, keeping his senses alert for anything that should go amiss outside with his newly turned beta.

The pattern was the same for the weeks that followed. Stiles would come over on days when he didn't have to work after he got out of school. Derek actually stayed outside with him, leaning on the other side of the tree as Stiles flipped through every piece of lore his family had ever put together. In between taking notes of werewolf theology Stiles would bitch about Scott and how they still weren't talking exactly and it was like their werewolves were actually making it harder to apologize to one another. Derek found this to be slightly annoying, but since they were both were young werewolves they had an inner tendency to try and flash power and be the last person willing to back down from a challenge. Derek also found he would have to do something to change that. If he had to listen to Stiles moan about Scott's "rude-dickish glares" (as so put by Stiles himself) one more time he was going to hurl himself off the nearest cliff.

The next day he decided to pull his Alpha rank to force Scott into the forest where he knew Stiles would be.

"Derek, seriously I promised Allison I would meet her and we only have an hour!"

"Don't care. Shut up." Derek rolled his eyes and fought a strong urge to smack Scott. Stiles looked up at the two approaching werewolves a frown set on his face. When they stopped the entire forest went silent and no one broke it.

"What's going on?" Stiles finally asked, deciding that someone should probably get the ball rolling.

"I have no clue. I was dragged out here." Scott glared at Derek, moving a couple feet away from him.

"You two need to talk."

"Talk?" Stiles questioned, setting the binder on the ground and standing.

"Yes talk. I'm tired of hearing you complain about Scott and frankly you two need to make up anyways. Everything you're fighting about is childish and ridiculous." Derek folded his arms and Scott and Stiles exchanged bewildered glances by this new behavior.

"How about we're seventeen so of course we're going to act childish? You're being ridiculous." Stiles shot at his Alpha.

"Talk." Derek snapped, not saying anything else. Scott sighed and Stiles huffed, still angry with Derek. They both turned to each other and stared for a long moment.

"I have no idea what to say." Stiles finally shrugged, hands making a loud slapping noise against the denim on his legs.

"Sorry?" Scott offered, bitterness setting the initial tone for this argument.

"Are you kidding me right now Scott? Am I seriously hearing you right? You want me to apologize? What the hell should I be apologizing for? Not being up your ass with all my information? Not clearing it with you on a decision that is mine and mine alone to make?"

"How about just not keeping me in the loop Stiles! I deserve to know at least that you were thinking about it. Of course it isn't my decision, but that doesn't mean I don't want to talk to you about it!"

"Talk me right out of it is what you were going to do!"

"Maybe! I just would have liked to know! You still haven't told me why you took the bite!"

"I have too!"

"No! You keep saying you're alone and there's no one, but Stiles I am here damnit! I never left!"

"You were with Allison!"

"I tried to be there for you and you shut me out! What the fuck was I supposed to do? So, yeah, I panicked and ran to Allison and tried to ask her for help. So what? I tried and then I tried again." Scott's eyes burned golden and Stiles felt his anger dissipating for a moment. Shit, it wasn't Scott who was being the bad friend. "Stop treating me like the bad guy here. Try giving me another reason. A legitimate reason. "

"It seemed like a good way out of…" Stiles trailed off, not meeting Scott's gaze, but favoring the ground instead.

"Good way out of what?"

"Out of despair. I figured, maybe taking the bite would give me something else to focus on. Something besides…besides my dad's death." He could still barely say it. Time had soothed over the raging wounds the death of his father had left him with, but they were still sensitive; not very easy to apply pressure and touch on.

"Stiles…"

"Ah-I'm…I'm sorry." He interrupted Scott, because if he didn't he wasn't ever going to say it.

"What?" Scott seemed taken aback, obviously still waiting for a fight.

"I'm sorry for being an asshole."

"Good."

"Oh my god Scott, that isn't how you accept and apology, but I'm going to ignore it because I am so tired of fighting with you and we have to live under the same roof with each other for the next year so let's just go back to being friends." Stiles reached his arms out in a truce and Scott grabbed him in a brotherly hug. Derek stood there, a couple feet away and he felt a little pleased with himself. Now maybe, he wouldn't have to hear any more bitching.

"Awesome, now that you're done acting like whiny teenagers we can move about pack business like normal."

"We are whiny teenagers. You might want to get used to that." Stiles smirked and Derek fought not to punch him for a second.

"I'm not dealing with that."

"Well then maybe you should have thought about that before you turned a bunch of us." Scott and Stiles laughed and walked away from the flabbergasted Alpha.

x-x-x-x

Winter was there in a blink of an eye and Derek wasn't too pleased that he had to walk out into the woods with the wind biting his cheeks. The weather wasn't going to keep him from doing the same thing he'd done every day for the past three months though. Stiles hadn't changed his habits either as he was sitting on the ground, cross legged, binder in his lap and brow furrowed.

"Hey Sourwolf." He greeted excitedly, which made Derek raise his eyebrows. Usually he was too concentrated on his notes to even give Derek a wave.

"Stiles." He greeted back, sitting down against a different part of the same tree, perpendicular to the boy.

"So, I think I've finally found it."

"Found what?" Honestly, Derek wasn't sure what Stiles had been looking for these last couple months. He just let the boy go about his own thing, bringing him in for different training sessions when he didn't have work.

"The key to turning full wolf." The subject caught the Alpha by surprise. He thought Stiles had dropped that long ago and if he had realized that if this was what he was going to be looking for he would have told him not to waste his time.

"Stiles, I doubt-"

"No, no, no. Just humor me. Now, hold this." Stiles twisted and shoved the binder into Derek's lap, scrambling on to all fours to quickly reread some highlighted paragraphs. Derek froze under the extremely close proximity Stiles was suddenly in. He hadn't forgotten the short and unexpected kiss they shared on the night Stiles turned, no matter how many times he willed it out of his head. Stiles had been the first person to give him that much contact since Kate. Not to mention all the other times they had been forced by the kanima's powers into similar situations. Thankfully, Stiles hadn't brought the issue up at all after Derek had snapped at him not to mention it. He was keeping things easier and Derek could appreciate easier right about now.

Except, when Derek actually looked at it all Stiles wasn't making things easier at all. Whether he was aware of what he was doing or not, Stiles was always close to Derek. After they sparred Derek learned that Stiles was even more of a social creature than he was normally. It was a weird habit, but a very prominent one. Oddly enough Derek watched Stiles become closer to all of the betas and even Derek found himself warming up to the boy, even if his constant talking grated on him some days. The constant, accidental brushes of skin drove Derek insane though. Before the kiss he wouldn't have any considered reading into the motions, but now he always had to look at Stiles to make sure he wasn't doing it all on purpose. He never did seem to be, but Derek's state of insanity was still shattering to pieces.

He watched as Stiles shifted over his lap, biting his bottom lip and his bright brown eyes scanned the book. It fascinated Derek that Stiles cared this much about one little aspect of being a werewolf. The other betas couldn't have cared less, not that they knew the option of shifting into a full wolf was open.

No, it wasn't open. He should have been chiding Stiles, telling the boy to not waste so much time on some empty hope.

"Okay, so here we go." Stiles backpedaled, ungracefully crawling to his feet. He shook his entire body, loosening muscles that Derek didn't even think he was going to use. Turns out, he didn't use them. He stood there silently, eyes closed, arms out palms facing towards the ground.

"Well?" Derek didn't remember going through this the first time he shifted completely into a wolf. It was all a blur of emotions and a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. All that stands out is that Laura was teasing him and was shifting back and forth, egging him on with taunts of not being able to shift yet. From there it was just anger, surprise and excitement.

"Shouldn't I be feeling something?" Stiles cracked an eye open. "The book said I should be feeling something." He hurried and dropped back onto his knees, leaning over Derek's lap again to examine the text in the book. "Maybe I should shift first. That might help."

"Stiles, you know it's not going to happen right."

"Oh way to be optimistic there sour wolf." Derek sighed and looked Stiles in the eyes, face completely somber.

"I'm telling you the truth. When I said the ability was rare I meant it was _rare_. There have only been eight cases documented ever of a turned wolf being able to shift all the way into animal form. I'm telling you to stop wasting your time." Stiles narrowed his eyes at Derek as he took in the newly granted information before raising his chin up indignantly.

"Watch me be the ninth." He stood and walked over to the same spot as before, eyes squeezing shut. He took up the same position and the two of them waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.

"Stiles-" Derek started, climbing to his feet, finger keeping the page saved in the book.

"No! Shut up! I can do this!" Stiles shot him a defiant look. Derek was pissed he wasn't listening to him. Not only was he the Alpha he was the last born wolf around these parts so he figured he knew what he was talking about. Stiles determination and drive though drove a spike of pride through him. Peter wasn't lying when he said he would make a great wolf.

"Fine. Waste your time." Derek didn't throw the binder on the ground, but he didn't set it down all too gently either. He stalked towards the warehouse, mood souring the further he got from Stiles and the longer he thought about it.

Needless to say when Stiles appeared in the warehouse that night he wasn't pleased and when the two of them caught eyes Stiles narrowed his even though his cheeks were reddened with embarrassment. That was answer enough for Derek and he couldn't help feel a little smug.

x-x-x-x

Christmas break rolled around sooner than any of the teenagers thought possible and suddenly Derek was surrounded by adolescent werewolves all the time. With Stiles hanging out with the pack Scott found his way in the warehouse too, though Derek warned him Allison wasn't to know where they were at. Scott reluctantly agreed after some helpful convincing from Stiles. Derek was thankful for the tactical approach Stiles brought to Scott.

"You should get an apartment." Stiles commented one day, cracking his eyes open from his mediation stance.

"What?" Derek asked, eyebrows skyrocketing.

"An apartment, you know like an actual place to live in. Not a creepy warehouse that belongs in a horror movie."

"It's the only place the Argents won't find me." Stiles' mouth dropped open a little before he let out a bark of laughter.

"If you keep setting up shop in creepy ass places, then the last place on earth they will think to look is in a normal apartment complex." Derek opened his mouth to argue back, but closed it when he realized Stiles might have been on to something. Not only that, but the thought of an actual home again made Derek's stomach churn with longing. He was tired of skulking in abandoned buildings for safety.

"An apartment wouldn't be big enough for the pack." Derek was just thinking out loud now, whether Stiles answered him or not, he didn't really care, but he knew Stiles would.

"A duplex then? Or a house, but I mean I don't think any of us can afford a house."

"I can afford one." Derek chanced a glance at the boy whose eyes widened and he suddenly was much more interested in the alpha than he was with concentrating on turning into a wolf.

"Are you kidding me? How? Do you have a job that I'm not aware of?"

"Inheritance." Derek whispered, lowering his head and focusing on the snow on the ground. He could see Stiles go stiff out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh." The beta whispered back so softly it could have just been an exhale of a breath. They remained quiet, listening to the wind softly whip around them, snow flurries catching on them as it started to fall again. Suddenly there was the warmth of a body pressed up against Derek's side, which made him stiffen. He still wasn't used to anyone coming into contact with him, especially Stiles. Every time the boy would touch him the kiss would flash in his mind. He should have been taking his own advice and dropping it. Yet he couldn't. He had a knack for masochism in his memories; almost a perfected hobby. There wasn't anything sexual about this though. It was just comfort. A press of another body to his so he could feel warmth and know he wasn't alone. "Still a place would be nice." Stiles' voice was still extremely soft, but it was clear he was trying to change the subject to help Derek.

"Mmm." Was what Derek settled for.

"Just saying it would be nice."

"I got it."

"Think about it. An actual house."

"Stiles." Every sentence Stiles tacked on was louder than the last, their melancholy moment evaporating.

"Alright, alright. Just…think about it. For us…for you." Stiles laid his hand on Derek's knee, giving it a small squeeze. The alpha's nostrils flared at the contact, but Stiles removed his hand before Derek could even give it a second thought. He stood, moving back to his original position in the middle of the trees, throwing the hood of his jacket over his head to protect him from the falling snow. The silence lasted all but two seconds before Stiles was rambling to Derek.

"You should transform for me."

"What? No."

"Oh come on Derek." Stiles whined, arms hitting his thighs. All he needed to do was stomp his foot and he'd be imitating a petulant five year old perfectly. "I want to see how it's done. I just want to see it in general. Just do it. Come on." Derek sighed and rolled his eyes, his glare not truly effective on the young boy anymore.

"Fine." It didn't take much energy, though it did take a lot longer than Derek remembered. When he thought about it he realized he hadn't shifted into his full form in almost two years. The last time had been when Laura and he had been running through the woods right before she left. It was almost supposed to be a small goodbye. Before things went downhill and it turned into a permanent one.

He felt the shift deep down in his bones first, a slight change in his energy and aura as it pooled together towards the center of his stomach. The air surrounding him became heavier almost as if it was becoming a blanket he could wrap around himself.

Then there was nothing else. He was shorter than Stiles now and was overwhelmed with a new array of scents that he couldn't pick up in his human form. Stiles jumped in the air in excitement, instantly dropping down to Derek's side to inspect him. His hands running all over him, which made the hackles rise on Derek's neck. Instantly Stiles got the vibe from his Alpha and backed off with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, it's just really cool. Never been up close to a wolf before. Funny, only time I ever saw one was at the zoo when I was little." Stiles' eyes glazed over, his gaze fixed on trees in the distance. Derek felt the irregular beat of his heart, the deep gulps he was taking to swallow down whatever he was feeling. Derek shoved his muzzle underneath Stiles' hand. The boy snapped out of his trance and ran his hand over the back of Derek's head, actually stopping to scratch behind one of his ears. Derek leaned in to the touch for a second before he let out a disgruntled noise. Stiles laughed at him, still inspecting him with both hands.

Derek tried to sit still for the boy, but while his body was wolf his mind was still human and the thought of Stiles running his hands all over him led to thoughts about their kiss. Derek was way too into self-hatred to function properly. Stiles took his hands off of Derek and stood, backing away from him with an excited grin plastered on his face. Derek stayed put, sitting in the snow, black fur a stark contrast from the white snow.

"Come on sour wolf." Stiles taunted, before darting into the woods. The sight of the boy running excited Derek's wolf and he immediately followed chase. Catching up to Stiles wasn't difficult in his wolf form. He had the capability of taking longer strides, his muscles much more designed for this than when he was human. Derek snapped at the back of Stiles' calves lightly, making the boy jump and put an extra bolt of speed into his run. It actually surprised Derek that Stiles was laughing as they were running. It was a sound that actually made Derek pleased. The sound had been strangely absent for so long that he just started to notice that it was coming back to his final beta.

The alpha was about to let out a howl when he felt the air shift around him and he halted, head swiveling around to scan the vicinity. He had his fangs bared, red eyes narrowed. Derek turned his head to make sure Stiles was alright and if he were human his jaw would have dropped.

Stiles no longer stood in front of him as Derek knew him. Where he had been was a wolf, not much smaller than his own staring back at him. His fur was a deep copper, white speckling his muzzle and tail. Derek wasn't sure what to think, but Stiles didn't give him time to. The reddish wolf yipped and charged Derek, which Derek easily deflected and retaliated with a small snap to Stiles' haunches.

They wrestled in the snow for what seemed like the entire day, neither one giving in to the other. Finally Derek had Stiles pinned underneath him, teeth bared on his scruffy throat. His red eyes went wide and shifted back into green when Stiles lifted up his head and licked his muzzle, bumping it with his own afterwards. Shockwaves ricocheted in Derek's body as he processed what had just happened. The shock sent his body reeling and he lost control of his form, shifting back to human right on top of Stiles, who was still a wolf.

"Stiles." Derek whispered, not knowing what else he could possibly say. Stiles just panted below him, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Derek would have almost presumed it was a smile. Stiles rolled over and squirmed his way out from underneath the man, trotting around where they had stopped. It was clear he was still enjoying his newly found ability. "We need to talk. Change back." The twenty-four year old crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the boy to shift back. After a couple minutes and nothing happened Derek let out an annoyed huff. "Stiles, I'm serious. Shift back." The wolf gave a shake of his head and sat down, letting out a low whine. One of his paws came up and swiped over his muzzle, a growl coming out at the same time. Something dawned on Derek.

"You can't change back can you?" When Stiles looked up from his pathetic pose, eyes shifting from each side back to him, Derek sighed. "Shit."

* * *

I'll try to update faster. Sorry again. It's my bed time now.


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